MD isn't over this yet?

Seeing as how others have written about the trades, I'm not even going to go there. Frankly, I'm with Caps Nut regarding all the whining that's going on. And this comment, regarding the changes that the Ballston rink will have to make to be ADA-compliant, typifies some of the complaining that's currently going around:

Serves you right Ted for moving out of the Mother Lode of your Fan Base

by John N. @ 6:24pm - Sun Feb 25th, 2007

Since you left Suburban Maryland and thought that Arlington County, such a home base of fans would patronize and return your favors.....WRONG.....Ted...listen, the big fan base was in suburban MD, why did you leave...ARL CO is a great place full of folks from all over the world, but this is not your predominate hockey demographics....since you are a NYér, let´s just say that if you left your old stomping grounds in Brooklyn, you´d have a similar reaction from the native fan base...hey Ted, hire some local native Washingtonians and stop relying on your experience out of town research and how you want it to be.

Besides the fact that this comment is wildly inaccurate, it's just plain silly. "Hire some local native Washingtonians?" What is that?
For John N.'s sake, here's the details on the Caps fan base, as detailed by Ted:

Washington, DC: 14.5 percent

Maryland: 34.5 percent

Virginia: 49 percent

Other: 2 percent

Or this comment by Ted, in an October 2006 interview with WFY of Metroblogging DC:

The Piney Orchard camp and practice facility was created when we played at the old USAir Arena and it meant that the nexus of living space for the players and the staff were out near Baltimore or Annapolis. When we moved into the MCI Center, now Verizon Center, it didn't make sense anymore. The majority of the fan base changed; it had moved from deep in Maryland to be in Bethesda, Washington, DC and Northern Virginia. In fact, Northern Virginia is where 62% of our season ticket base now comes from, so we felt it was in our best interest to relocate the office and the practice facility, and then where the players and staff live to be in the heart of the fan base.

Somehow it doesn't appear that Maryland is quite the juggernaut that some people think it is, but hey, some people need any reason to whine. Chanuck and I went to the ice-breaking ceremony a few years ago and listened to some Marylander scream (and I mean scream) at one of the sales guys for moving the team's practice facility from Piney Orchard to Ballston. Utterly unbelievable. (It was probably this guy.)

Congrats to GW's own Mike Hall, who signed a 10-day contract with the Wizards today. I know you'll wow them, Mike!

And my new favorite brothers are Brian and Marcus Giles. They're a little different, but their antics crack me up:

The only problem this year, the Padres will tell you, is trying to keep a straight face, watching two grown men run around naked, snapping towels at one another and daring others to join them in the shower.

Not surprisingly, Marcus is quite a humorist:

The back of the jerseys will even read the same: "Giles" with no initials, 24 for Brian and 22 for Marcus. "There's no reason to have initials on the back," Marcus says..."It's like when I was with the Braves, and Andruw Jones… had A. Jones on his back. Come on dude, if you can't tell the difference between Andruw Jones and Chipper Jones, you got a problem."

Amen, brother.

Ovechkin's unmentionables, mentioned

At long last- the recap! (Miss Chatter has a recap as well.) Hockey in Heels seemed to be a success- they had 250 attendees, and the event sold out within 11 days. Who wouldn't relish the opportunity to see this? Why, it's Ovechkin's underwear bag!

In the corner of the dressing room, these two bottles (with player signatures all over them) were sitting on a table. I can only assume they're from team dinners.

I liked this sign hanging in the workshop. "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." It seemed a little out of place, but hey- to each his own.

Of course Dan Steinberg was there, covering all the action.

Jill Sorensen, demonstrating what a cross check is. It seemed to be Craig Laughlin's least favorite part of the discussion for some reason. (It's not like she was smacking him hard or anything.)
I took this one for Gustafsson- in the hallway outside the locker room. Sadly, I somehow missed seeing Mrs. Gustafsson and guest. I was looking for them all night, but it was a mob scene.

Now, I'd love to know who Ace is- this nameplate was in the training room.

After the discussion last week about the drawings on Ovechkin's sticks, I just had to take a picture of them. The last #8 stick on the right was the only one that appeared to have any sort of drawing; I was so disappointed not to see Man Who Have Legs.

I enjoyed the evening. While it was marketed for women who don't know much about hockey, the majority of ladies there were hardcore fans. The crowd was a good mix of young and old, Caps fans and novices, professional puck bunnies and pregnant women. It was a fascinating cross-section of society.

The sessions themselves were good, with the standout being the on-ice demonstration. Jamie Heward (*sniff* he will be missed) was very patient with everyone, especially me, who could not get a puck in the damn net. Like Miss Chatter says, he will be a very good coach someday.

One interesting session was the Caps' Wives one. There was only one actual wife- Jamie Heward's- while Brent Johnson's fiancee and Shaone Morrisonn's girlfriend were there as well. The difference between the three situations was noticeable; Jamie Heward's wife (Tisha? Trisha? I wasn't clear) had the most to offer, since she had been with Jamie for 17 years and fully understood what it was like to be with a hockey player. The other two, while well-spoken, had only been with their guys for about a year and a half, and it was obvious. When they introduced themselves, Tisha explained herself in terms of Jamie. The other two, especially Johnson's fiancee Danielle, talked in terms of themselves. Nothing wrong with that- it just clarified things a little for me.

I've never dated a professional athlete, nor care to do so even if I wasn't married, but it must be a difficult transition from having your own life to basing yours entirely on one man's wants and needs. Tisha Heward said as much; they have two children and taking care of them and Jamie is her role. Danielle, the fiancee, had been working, but it sounds like she quit to plan her wedding to Brent. Krystal, Morrisonn's girlfriend, works at XM which must be a cool job. She obviously wasn't looking to give up her job any time soon (she's taking a leave of absence in the summer to spend time with Shaone in Vancouver while they look for a house and get a bulldog), but clearly she would have to if she settled down with him. That must be challenging- to leave a job/career you enjoy to focus entirely on one person. I know a lot of people wouldn't hesitate to do that, but personally, I couldn't do it. That's why it was so interesting to me to hear their POVs, and why I would have liked to hear more from other wives/fiancees/girlfriends who had been with their guys for a long time. I can't help wondering if their perspectives change after years of moves and injuries.

One incident at the end of the evening stood out for me. When Miss Chatter and I were leaving, we shared the elevator with an older woman (probably in her mid-40s). She was positively glowing. I asked if she had a good time, and she enthusiastically said, "I LOVED it. It was great!" I inquired about her level of hockey knowledge, and she said she was a hockey widow whose husband wants her to understand hockey better to attend games with him. I asked if she would go now, and she was very excited about it. So the Caps got at least one new fan out of the evening (and many more, I suspect).

Miscellaneous stuff:

- Apparently the team plane, a chartered 737, is very comfortable (shocker) and no one has to turn their cell phones off.
- Craig Laughlin called the hit on Chris Drury a clean hit. "Was he skating with his head down? Absolutely. Was his helmet not strapped on tight? Absolutely."
- Brent Johnson and Jamie Heward are the most superstitious players on the team, according to the equipment guys.
- The wives/fiancees/girlfriends attend all the home games. (Take a look in section 121 sometime.)
- Morrisonn loves music, and used to DJ at parties when he was in the minor leagues. He owns commercial and residential real estate in Vancouver.

Here's hoping the Caps do another one next season! Rumor has it that the Nationals will be doing one too- while a tour of RFK wouldn't be nearly as interesting, it would still be fun.

On-ice action. Oh, baby!

A really not very exciting of Jamie Heward and Shaone Morrisonn doing an on-ice demonstration from Hockey in Heels. I had a funnier video of Jamie passing the puck to me to shoot, but it's hugely embarrassing and I just can't bring myself to post it. (I have no problem humiliating myself, but this is just too much.)

No, I didn't put it on

Hockey in Heels recap to come tonight, I promise- complete with photos of Dan Steinberg boggin' it up! (I think he was getting a little annoyed at the pictures that Miss Chatter and I were taking of him.) Anyway, here's a pic of me lovingly caressing Ovechkin's helmet, courtesy of Miss Chatter.

In the meantime, I read this quote yesterday from the NHL Today recap:

"When I was in Edmonton my first year, me and a couple guys did a pretty good one, and I can't remember who we did it to. We grabbed a bunch of bags (hockey gear) and it was right before the trade deadline. So then when the guys came to the rink, we told them they had to go see the front office people. So they thought their stuff was gone because they were getting traded." -- Red Wings' Kirk Maltby, when asked to recall his favorite practical jokes.

Funny, yeah. But I'd think that would be a little stressful, especially if there's a possibility that the victim could be traded and was already on edge. I guess the victim would find out the truth quickly enough, so no harm done?

As for the trades...it was kind of funny to find out last night about the Zednik trade from Carol Maloney, as we were sitting in front of Zed's cubby in the locker room. I'm very sad that I can no longer like Georges Laraque, as he will now be Penguin Scum. And Marty Biron in Philly? Interesting.

Yes, I wore heels

Hockey in Heels recap to come soon. In the meantime, let's all contemplate this poster from the Caps' locker room area:

Short-handed goal! Short-handed goal!

Today's Caps game was actually a fun one to watch, and not just because they won. I always enjoy seeing the Caps score short-handed goals (as a matter of fact, they have four players in the top 25 for SHGs). Very nice.

These pics have nothing to do with anything...just thought they were great. Gotta love dogs- and who hasn't felt like this once in a while?

Let's see him challenge the Black Widow

Say what you want about baseball players not being athletic (like my personal favorite from his Phillie days, John Kruk). I think the world needs more guys like Chad Cordero:

"He's still the same guy who eats four hot dogs a day," said Brian Schneider, Cordero's catcher. "But he's trying to cut down on the Slurpees."

And there's another reason why I love Brian Schneider, though I suspect he's only half-kidding. Cordero seems like the kind of guy who would eat four hot dogs a day. After all, Corona is his beer of choice- no fancy drinks for him.

Cordero, for someone who's now going to be making $4M, still lives his old life:

Next month, Cordero will turn 25, but he will remain a kid. He still lives with his old college teammates in a house he owns in Fullerton, Calif. He still spends his offseason playing video games with those same friends, building a fire in the new fire pit out back, roasting marshmallows, going to bed -- then waking up to do the same thing all over again.

You know, that sounds nice. All sports could use more down-to-earth guys like this one, as opposed to jerks like Pacman Jones who throw $81,000 at strippers and then expect to get the money back. I didn't think strip clubs worked that way, but apparently Pacman has a different idea. Never ceases to amaze me how arrogant and obnoxious some guys can be.

Another shootout, another loss

It's so depressing that whenever I see the Caps go to the shootout, I know they're going to lose. Sigh. At least they did pretty well against the Sharks, overall- despite having that 2-goal lead and losing it. Hey, it could have been a lot worse- it could have been like that 9-4 smackdown they put on Detroit last month. Then again, they just lost three in a row (two of which were shutout losses) and are back on with this win. C'est la vie.

Since I don't watch the Sharks that often, I forgot that this guy was with them now. From this:

to this:
I always liked him, and suppose I can like him again now that he's not with the Slugs. Then again, is it possible to like a guy on a team whose colors date them so much? Seriously, teal? How early '90s. And they have one of the weirdest-looking mascots I've seen, which includes Mr. Met. Our mascot may terrify small children, but at least he can't fit their heads in his mouth.

To shave or not to shave

It was only a matter of time before someone turned the Britney Spears shaving incident into a gimmick:

The Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League have invited the newly separated icon to spend an all-expense paid trip in snow-buried Syracuse, N.Y. In a show of support, the Crunch is offering any woman that comes to the War Memorial Box Office with a shaved head a free ticket to the club's February 24 game against the Manitoba Moose. "The team and community want to provide Britney Spears with a stress free environment and the chance to experience a high level of hockey," said Crunch President and CEO Howard Dolgon. "In addition to being 3,000 miles away from Hollywood, Syracuse is light years away from that pretentious environment. There won't be paparazzi within 100 miles." The Crunch's offer of an all expense paid trip will begin with their game on Feb. 24. Also, if Spears accepts the Crunch's invitation, each member of the club's front office staff will shave their heads.

Now, I know they couldn't enforce it, but I think it would be better if the entire team shaved their heads, as opposed to the front office. It could be the new playoff beard. (Then again, the Crunch likely aren't going to the playoffs.)

Be sure to check out George Takei's response to Tim Hardaway. Very nice!

Ah, classic hockey

I *love* it when ESPN Classic shows vintage hockey, so I enjoyed this video. Not sure which I liked better- the video or the accompanying cheesy song...

Esky! Say it ain't so!

Chanuck got the news that it's looking more and more certain that Alecko Eskandarian will not play in Toronto next season. Check out his blog for more info. The proposed trade is probably the worst possible thing for DCU fans. Where's Dan Steinberg, his punkin' chunkin buddy, to get more info on this travesty?

In NBA "news", Reggie was talking to Caron Butler last night and asked about how much money Caron had lost at the tables. Caron apparently isn't much of a gambler, but he related that there's a certain East Coast NBA player who lost $100,000 in about 30 minutes last night. No, it's not Charles Barkley.

Is spring here yet? I hate this weather. Give me some baseball, stat! And I don't want none of that spring training stuff- it's just not the same. *sigh*

PB&J at my house

So much going on these days! Add this to the list:Yes, you guessed it- it's one of the tubs o' salmonella.

(No salmonella-flavored peanut butter was actually eaten by the cat or writer of this post. In fact, the jar was never opened.)

Wanna come over for peanut butter sandwiches?

He needs help

Lake, Sergio, and I did last night's Sports Journey radio show from the Grand Slam sports bar at the Grand Hyatt in downtown DC. I was surprised that a hotel bar could actually be kind of cool- lots of sports memorabilia on the walls but not in a cheesy TGI Friday's way. Good food, large beers, big screens- how can you go wrong? Anyway, we'll be there every Monday from 6-8 p.m., so come join us next week!

Days like today remind me that I could never live in upstate New York/Minnesota/Canada. Then again, I could deal with snow better than this ice crap. What a pain in the ass it was to try to get home today in freezing rain. At least you have traction in snow.

One more thing: don't forget to come out for the Caps Bloggers Happy Hour at Bugsy's on Sunday! Who better with to scream obscenities at the Canadian Diving Team Captain, Sidney Crosby? Especially since his teammates and the frequent Crosby-apologist Canadian media think that he is beyond reproach and also needs a bodyguard:

He drives hard into the danger areas around the net and battles for pucks. And he gets manhandled. While no one expects him to get a free pass, some of Crosby's teammates think the league should do more to protect one of its greatest assets.

"I can see cheap shots all over the ice and, obviously, (league officials) have to do a better job protecting him," defenceman Sergei Gonchar said. "He's the future of the league. He's advertising the game. He does everything for them to make sure that hockey is popular and hockey is moving forward. It's too bad they're not protecting him well enough."

Are you kidding me? I get the point, but if Crosby's the well-rounded player that everyone says he is, then he doesn't need a higher amount of protection; he'd be able to provide it himself.

Interesting that there's no mention of the NHL's reigning Calder Trophy winner in this article in terms of being part of the "future of the league." Oh yeah, that's because he's not a big baby and can take care of himself. Sure, Brashear's the enforcer, but Ovie doesn't need him nearly as much as Crosby needs someone to fight his fights for him, apparently.

Brash is a badass

Somehow, I doubt that the old Flyers-Senators rivalry of yore is still there (at least not with the Flyers in the shape they're currently in). Here's a reminder of what the Flyers used to be like, featuring Brashear!

I pledge allegiance to Albert Pujols

We talked a little about this on last night's Sports Journey show, but I thought it was interesting. In my news update, I brought up Albert Pujols getting a perfect score on his U.S. citizenship exam, and consequently becoming a citizen on Wednesday. That turned into a debate about the difficulty of the questions on the exam. Here are some sample questions- can you answer them? Some of them would stump me.

How many amendments does the Constitution have?
Name two Cabinet-level positions.
The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
What decides each state’s number of U.S. Representatives?
There are 13 original states. Name three. (Yeah, but can you name ALL of them?)

However, these questions are easier than the ones on the Canadian citizenship exam:

Name all the provinces and territories and their capital cities.
Who is the Queen’s representative in Canada?
On what date did Nunavut become a territory?
What are the Prairie provinces?

and there's like a million more. Yowza!

I detest Artest

Just when I thought I couldn't dislike him more than I already do, in a sad, ironic twist, these poor dogs are better off at the pound than they would be at Ron Artest's house:

Placer County animal control officers have gone to Artest's five-acre estate seven times in that period [77 days] in response to callers' complaints about dogs being loose or not being fed.

His excuse?

He blamed Socks' condition on the fact that another dog, an American bulldog, "dominated all the food."

Oh, well, that justifies the dog not getting anything to eat. What?!?

I'm a huge fan of letting the punishment fit the crime. Let's throw Artest and Shaq in a room together for a year and see how Artest does. (Not that Shaq is fat, but he's a big dude for a 7'1" guy: 325 pounds. In comparison, 7'1" Tyson Chandler weighs 245.) Artest's house: the new fat camp.

In a surprise to no one, Artest blames the dog cruelty on someone else...

Artest said he hopes to get Socks back and has hired a new caretaker for the dogs.

...the implication being, of course, that the previous caretaker didn't do his/her job.

And this:

Artest has had as many as seven dogs on his property, but at least two have been killed and others have been sent to live in Indiana...

"Live in Indiana?" Is that like saying they were sent to a farm?

BTW, what kind of a name is "Socks" for a Great Dane? "Socks" is a cat name; maybe a little punting dog. But a huge-ass dog? At least he didn't name the dog "Scooby" (because like every Great Dane is named Scooby.)

Poor puppy. Artest should never be allowed to own another dog in his life, since he obviously can't take care of them (and can't seem to hire quality people to take care of the dogs for him when he's away). And you wanna bet he doesn't pay the $2,000 that he owes to the pound? He'll spend millions on his rap album or promoting his R&B group, but won't pay organizations that need and deserve the money (That includes the pound and the general public for being subjected to his album.) Then again, this IS the guy who applied for a job at Circuit City just to get the discount.

They just don't do it like this anymore

For better or worse, I suppose...

Spear job, please

Back to sports...

Saturday's game sucked (though yesterday's was nice; it's about time they got a shootout win).
I'd like to see Ovie do more of this against Pittsburgh.
I'd also like to see another spear job on Crosby by Jurcina on the 18th.
Here's hoping!

My kingdom for a horse!

On Friday, Feb. 2, I wrote a blog post about Lisa Miceli, the self proclaimed mistress/ex- mistress of Michael Jordan. For some reason, Lisa has found my commentary and humor offensive to her…so much so that she has accused me of slander, libel, stalking, harassment and somehow hacking into her blog at Blogspot and replacing its contents. I WISH I were that savvy to be able to do that but unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, I just am not that smart. So Lisa will have to look elsewhere for the culprits who hijacked her site.

In total, I have received no less than four emails and eight comments from her within the last 24 hours with her accusations of illegal and odd activity. I wrote one post about the topic. She has also published at least two comments about it on her blog. I’ll let you be the judge as to who is harassing and stalking whom. Lisa is completely ignoring these blog pieces and postings from the last 3 weeks, all taking pot shots at her. Each takes liberties of printing her exact words from her blog for comment. Like me, they attribute the sentences and phrases to her as they comment on what she said.

But she has chosen me for special wrath and disdain. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman and she is guarding her position as the proclaimed mistress of MJ. Trust me folks, that isn’t a role I’m interested in. Lisa has also chosen to accuse me of high crimes and misdemeanors, none of which are remotely true or possible. This is what the blogosphere is about: commentary. It might not be flattering and pretty all the time but as a wise man once said: “if the shoe fits..” She is now in mortal fear of me if you believe the last few postings and her family lives in fear as well according to her.

Note to Lisa: good luck with your book deal and your relationship with Michael and if you live by the sword you die by the sword. In other words, be careful who you accuse others of being after and still try and cloak yourself in victimhood. What you have written to me has now got me consulting lawyers, doctors and Indian Chiefs to determine how I can protect myself from you. Rather than continuing to dwell on this, try watching a game or two today. I hear there is a big football game down in Miami. I know I’m gonna be watching.

Is this crazy stalker behavior?

My friend Melissa sent me a link to this blog today, with the message:

This chick scares me. Can you pinpoint why?

Well, there's any number of reasons (Melissa was referring to the abhorrent spelling). Here's some quotes from her blog:

Michael Jordan and I met in August of 1999 at a Charity Event. I totally expected him to leave his wife when we started dating.

Seriously?

Now, that Juanita and Michael are divorced, I wil tell all about the courtship of Michael Jordan and Lisa Miceli. (The reason that I write my name in the third person, is for clarity - so that YOU do not think that I am talking about you and MJ and NOT me).

Thank God that was cleared up. I was confused!

Prior to meeting Michael Jordan, I worked in a doctor's clinic which specialized in psychiatric and brain disorders, and I wore a suit or professional clothing everyday to work.

"Worked?"

Michael Jordan and I have the same god (or religion) since we are both Catholics...If I was married to MJ, I would NOT have an open marriage.

So it's perfectly fine (and not against the Catholic religion) to cheat with a married man, but it's not OK when one is married- the woman, anyway. Crystal clear.

I am optimistic for the future for MJ and Lisa Miceli as I know that he would not be happy with these turn of events.

Um, what?!?

As far as MJ being faithful to me if we married, it is totally possible.

Riiiiiiiiiiiight....

My family was 95 years in business and have a very good name in numerous communities and have won Family of the Year Awards.

Someone gives those out?
Yeah, this would improve a family's name...

Michael Jordan propsed to me in April 2001 while still legally married to Juanita Jordan.

My guess is that he said something like "Will you carry me" and something else was heard.

I would like to be married soon and let my child have the benefits of a father.

Michael Jordan is an EXCELLENT choice in that case.

I actually thought that I saw MJ drive the limo, while others were piling into the ack of the limo.

Yup, I'm sure that was Michael Jordan driving a limo. Lebron James was serving cocktails back at the hotel bar too.

Is this when I get taken away by the aliens that were sighted in O'Hare airport recently???? Did I miss my flight back home???

Possibly...

If I had my dream, I would be WRITTEN into a James Bond film as Pussy Buffett (pronounced with a T), like Warren Buffett, stock market GOD.

Warren "Pussy" Buffett. Got it!

Maybe Mike Jordan can and will make a comeback to North Carolina golf tournaments when we are legally married.

This blog is so funny that it's hard to believe it's true. No one can be this delusional, can they?

Chicks and Sticks

So this announcement from the Caps came out today:

The Washington Capitals have teamed up with Comcast SportsNet and MIX 107.3 to host a special evening for female fans at Verizon Center. Hockey ’n Heels, slated to take place on Monday, Feb. 26 from 6-10 p.m., will give women the opportunity to head downtown for a girls night out.

Designed to target the Capitals female audience, Hockey ’n Heels is a special evening that will feature games, prizes and most importantly, hockey! The night kicks off with instructional sessions that will help introduce fans to hockey fundamentals, rules, equipment and get them familiar with the basic skills of the game. A locker room tour, on-ice demonstration and a question and answer session with Capitals’ wives will make for a fast-paced and fun evening.

Members of the Caps coaching staff and broadcast team will also be in attendance at the event, alongside Comcast SportsNet’s Jill Sorenson and Carol Maloney as well as MIX 107.3’s Chilli Amar. The night’s festivities will wrap-up with a cocktail party at Verizon Center’s Acela Club, featuring specialty drinks, hors d’oeuvres and Caps players.

Fans attending Hockey ’n Heels will receive special gifts as well as have the opportunity to win prizes including shopping sprees, spa gift certificates and autographed Caps items. Each person in attendance will also receive one ticket to the Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning game on Thursday, March 1.

Fans interested in attending Hockey ’n Heels may sign-up by clicking HERE.

Several reactions on the Sports Bog. Nancy had the following questions for the Caps wives:

1. Does your husband like to keep the bedroom at an abnormally low temperature?

2. Do you let him bring the stick into the house?

3. Does he ever blame you for him having to sit in the penalty box?

Personally, I'd want to ask certain wives about the rumors that they're the next Joumana Kidd or Jackie Christie, but that wouldn't be very nice.

CapsChick had the exact same thought I did about the weird wording, but she mentioned it first:

"The night's festivities will wrap-up with a cocktail party at Verizon Center 's Acela Club, featuring specialty drinks, hors d'oeuvres and Caps players."

Hmmm...does that wording seem a bit odd to anyone else? Um, yes, I'll take a vodka tonic, a spring roll, and Brooks Laich.

I'd want Brian Sutherby. And Georges Laraque if he was here. A girl can't have everything, I suppose. (Yes, Chanuck is aware of this.)

Now this one, from "Susan B. Anthony," was interesting:

Decades and decades of fighting for women's rights, and we continue to get crap like quote hockey in heels unquote. Ladies night, fine, but why the heck do they have to throw in the sexism by using heels in the name of the promotion? This woman will NOT be attending that Caps game. And to think when I saw the headline I thought I would...

What is wrong with "heels?" I get her point, but that's being a little TOO uptight. I'm not a feminist per se, but I get really torqued about blatant sexism. That's hardly the case in this example. "Hockey in Heels" is a cute, catchy name, which is all they were going for here. "Hockey in Uggs" just doesn't have the same cache.

Let's be realistic: it's about attracting a new group of people to the game of hockey. If I wasn't already into hockey and a friend told me about it, I'd be willing to check it out. It's just another night out with girlfriends; instead of dinner or happy hour at a bar, it's a night at the Phone Booth with hockey players. At a minimum, it's something different from the normal options.

Grooven has an idea:

And just think, much like a happy hour at a neighborhood bar, or a bachelorette party at a nightclub, the Caps can get more guys to show up that night by saying that there'll be women there. After all lots of men would try to find the group of women and try to impress with hockey knowledge (only to sound like a moron after the class explained things like icing and offsides the right way).

Yeah, this is likely what the Caps are aiming for, in addition to attracting successful, professional women. It's a win-win situation.

Hope to see the ladies on the 26th!

Caps get a new D-man

#68 is alive again in D.C.! Thank God it's not Jagr.

Just received the following info:

Capitals Acquire Defenseman Milan Jurcina from Boston

No details yet, but I'm sure something will be out soon.

On ice

Thanks to On Frozen Blog for tagging the "DC Duo," aka "The Wonder Twins of North Arlington."

OK, this will be a little different since I'm, you know, a chick, but hey- girls can play too!

Team: California Golden Seals
Uniform Number: 23 (ever since high school field hockey!)
Position: Left Wing
Nickname: Chang-ie or Chang-er, most likely. Hockey players just aren't that imaginative. I'd prefer "Bob," though, in honor of the almost-name of the Northwest Territories.
Dream Linemates: Maurice Richard or Guy Lafleur, Darryl Sittler
Rounding out the PP: Ray Bourque
Job: Moving the puck up the ice as fast as humanly possible
Signature Move: Not so much a move, as a feature- Gordie Howe hat tricks
Strengths: Speed
Weaknessess: Inability to stop taunting other players, thus garnering too much time in the box and an unspecified number of injuries
Injury Problems? groin, lower body (isn't that what they all have?)
Equipment: Mirrored visor, shiny green composite stick, nothing from Reebok
Nemeses: Daniel Briere, the Canadian media
Scandal Involvement: As Matthew Perry's guest at the Grammy Awards, checking Fergie and/or Paris Hilton on the red carpet.
Who I’d face in the Stanley Cup Finals: The 1972-1973 Philadelphia Flyers
What I’d do with the Stanley Cup after our victory: Take it to Elizabeth Arden for a facial and manicure. It could use a touch-up, despite that guy who shines it all the time.
Would the media love me or hate me? Love me. I'm always saying stupid stuff. Why do you think they love Jeremy Roenick so much?

I'm tagging 3 Grumpy Caps Fans next...